Milkdown vs pell
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A plugin-based markdown editor framework where you type rich text and see formatted output.
Open source · MIT
A tiny, dependency-free rich text editor you can drop into a web page.
The short answer
Choose Milkdown if you need…
- Developers adding a rich markdown editing box to a web app
- Teams that want an editor extended through plugins
- TypeScript developers comfortable with ProseMirror-style editors
Choose pell if you need…
- Web developers who need a simple rich text box in a form or admin page
- Projects where a small file size matters more than many features
- Developers who want to customize toolbar buttons or style the editor with CSS or SCSS
- Projects that will convert the HTML output to Markdown with a converter such as Turndown
Side-by-side
| Milkdown | pell | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12k | 12k |
| Setup difficulty | Advanced | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 2 years ago |
What each one is
Milkdown
Milkdown is a TypeScript framework for building WYSIWYG markdown editors, meaning the text looks formatted as you write it instead of showing raw markdown symbols. It is built on ProseMirror and remark and is organized around plugins. The README says it is inspired by the Typora editor. It is aimed at developers who want to add a markdown-style editor to their own web application.
pell
pell is a small JavaScript library that adds a basic WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) text editor to a web page. You give it an element and it shows toolbar buttons for common formatting such as bold, italic, lists, headings, links and images, and it reports the resulting HTML through a callback. It has no dependencies and is intended for simple editing needs rather than full-featured document editing.
Best for
Milkdown
- Developers adding a rich markdown editing box to a web app
- Teams that want an editor extended through plugins
- TypeScript developers comfortable with ProseMirror-style editors
pell
- Web developers who need a simple rich text box in a form or admin page
- Projects where a small file size matters more than many features
- Developers who want to customize toolbar buttons or style the editor with CSS or SCSS
- Projects that will convert the HTML output to Markdown with a converter such as Turndown
Strengths
Milkdown
- Plugin-driven design lets you add or swap features
- Built on established libraries ProseMirror and remark
- MIT licensed with an active repository and about 12,000 stars
pell
- Very small: the README reports about 1.38kB minified and gzipped
- No dependencies and written in plain JavaScript
- Customizable through the actions list, class names and SCSS variables
Not ideal for
Milkdown
- Non-programmers wanting a ready-made note-taking app, since this is a framework rather than an end-user app
- Projects needing a simple drop-in widget with minimal setup, since the plugin model adds a learning curve
pell
- Teams needing advanced editing features like tables, collaboration or plugins, since the README lists only the basic actions and no such features
- Projects that must support old browsers, because the README says IE 9 support is theoretical
- Anyone who needs a maintained v2 release, since the README points to a v2 working branch and project board without stating its status
Trade-offs
Milkdown
- README is brief on setup details; most guidance is on the external documentation site
- Requires familiarity with TypeScript and editor concepts to use effectively
pell
- Feature set is basic; advanced features are not listed in the README
- The latest release shown is v1.0.6 and the last push was May 2024, so upkeep is unclear
- Relies on the browser's execCommand API, which the README links to MDN for reference
Getting started
Milkdown
Install core package (from npm package names in README badges)
npm install @milkdown/coreFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between Milkdown and pell?
Milkdown: A plugin-based markdown editor framework where you type rich text and see formatted output. pell: A tiny, dependency-free rich text editor you can drop into a web page. Milkdown suits developers adding a rich markdown editing box to a web app, while pell suits web developers who need a simple rich text box in a form or admin page.
Are Milkdown and pell free?
Milkdown: Free and open source. pell: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, Milkdown or pell?
pell is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Milkdown is rated advanced and usually needs more setup.
Is Milkdown or pell more popular?
pell has more GitHub stars (12k) than Milkdown (12k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to Milkdown and pell?
Other options people compare them with include Tiptap, Lexical, Trix, Vditor, Editor.md.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.